Long story short, I used to be incredibly gifted child. I went trough first 7 years of elementary school with 0 issues. ( we have 9 years elementary, 4 years high school, then you go to uni, where I'm from ) Suddenly year 8 everything changes.
Long story incoming but bare with me :
I had this talent to make myself believe in my own lies. I know that sounds bad, but hear me out. Example of this : I was the only boy in my class who didn't like this one girl. She had a terrible personality and was a spoiled rotten rich kid who looked down on everyone. One day my friend called me out , called me gay for not liking her, and child me was like : Ofc I like her, everybody does !
I kid you not, the moment those words left my mouth, I STARTED LIKING HER ! And she was my crush throughout all elementary school.
The only reason I said it was because back in the day, you know how it was with internalized homophobia. I was 8 and being called gay was not something I wanted to hear.
And no there is no way in hell I liked that girl. I was a working class kid, and I used to hate her because she would make fun out of my dad for being a cab driver. As a kid those things sting and hurt, and are not forgiven easily. Especially because my parents got me young and they were going to uni, taking care of me and working some low pay jobs until they both finished uni. For her to disrespect them like that made me hate her.
Back to grades , I was honor student 7 years out of 9 years of elementary . Years 8 and 9, all of high school and uni were a disaster.
I developed anxiety somewhere summer break between year 7 and 8. Full blown panic attacks and all. We found out I had gut issue, and docs agreed that therapy for that would end my suffering and it did.
Beginning of year 8, my professor does something that changes my life . He told me : BOY DO YOU HAVE ADHD OR SOMETHING ???
He said that because me and my friends were goofing around, doing some dance moves . We didn't notice him enter the classroom . Before that I was never ever in my life called out by any teacher for bad behavior. He was new teacher and didn't know us. And he was a monster. Always yelling and stuff. Especially at me and my friends, because we would climb trees and stuff.
He ruined my life. After he asked me if I had ADHD or something, I think that I made myself believe that I in fact do have ADHD.
I googled it ofc, and when some symptoms ( incredibly stupid common symptoms that could be anything from puberty to school stress ) aligned , I was like HOLY SHIT I HAVE ADHD.
Suddenly I found myself rendered useless . I couldn't do anything . I started wasting time and playing games all day which I never did prior to that . But in my mind I had ADHD .
And worst thing of em all, ever since I was a young child I would have these rituals where I was like if I don't do this - something bad will happen. That shit got worse. I made myself believe that I will die if I read some book and stuff like that.
That all being said , is it possible that I made myself believe that I'm ill ? Am I now 25 , suffering every day, because of childhood choices ?

My boyfriend is Western , I'm Asian. He moved to my country and lived with me for 3-4 months. I paid for a gym membership that allowed me to bring 2 more people to there with me. But the rule is that I am always the one who has to check in the code before entering the gym, which means that 2 people cannot use my membership card to go to the gym by themselves. And I used it to go to the gym with my boyfriend every day. But this week I had to visit my hometown for about a week, so I had to contact the person who sold me my membership card to ask him to allow my boyfriend to check in at the gym by himself.
And for every day, we wake up, we text each other good morning, ask basic things like what “how was your sleep”, “what u are doing, “ have you eaten anything” , and he always updates me like “ i will book a car to go gym now” “ im on the way gym now”... so same that time, I can text the staff to wait there for him and support my boyfriend.
Until today, after waking up, I texted him good morning. My mind is quite sensitive today because a really bad thing happened to me yesterday and he also knows that. And Of course, my mood, my body, my weakness feelings felt I really needed his attention and his love his care today even more than other days.
After texting him good morning, I continued texting him to say that I couldn't meet him today as planned, What are you doing, when will u go to the gym, do u need any help, … At that time, it was about 2-3 hours before he got to gym every day, but after I texted for about an hour, I still didn't hear any updates from him about his gym. ( I had discussed with the gym in advance and he could check in without staff help today and I told him last night already. Because I already talked with staff, so I have to make sure to know will he go to gym instead of staying home or dont go anymore)
Then I checked his messages again, I saw he was online not too long ago and left my text on seen. I felt quite disappointed at that time but I still didn't want to send more messages to start a conversation first especially after seeing my messages being seen by him. But after about another hour, I was really worried about when he would go to the gym, and would he be able to check in with the staff ok? So I opened the app again and saw he was online a few minutes ago, but this time I sent him another message say that "I miss you". After that about 10 minutes he replied saying "use this photo for checking at gym?" and thats all… don't care about all the other messages I sent. At that moment I felt really really bad, maybe because I was in a bad mood before, but feel and even worse to think he knew I wasn't okay but thats the way he act.
About another 30 minutes, I had to do something else and couldn't wait for his gym update anymore so I sent a few more messages to ask if he had gone to the gym yet... and straight away he replied me "yea".
When he online at that time, I asked him he didn't reply to my message, leave it on seen that made me feel not good. He answered me that what should he reply me
And I feel that was terrible answer, I said that if he was busy at the time I texted, he could told me he was busy and he would reply to my message later instead of just online, and leave it on seen. Then he said "why he have to tell? You have to know by yoursel" I asked back” how can I know when you and me don't live in the same place” And what he means is that at the time he asked about “ Use this photo to check in gym?” I must understand that he was busy going to the gym. And he feels it's normal to take 2 to 3 hours to reply to someone's message
But I feel it's normal when in non-urgent situations (like me, I need to know about his time to go to the gym, so I can make sure he's allowed to go to the gym and then do another stuffs instead of waiting there for his update). Or when he's really busy and can't receive my messages not there online and seen it without reply. ( Specially, for him, every single day, for whole day, all he has to do is wake up, eat, rest play phone, go to gym, go back home, rest, eat, play phone, sleep thats all. )
I feel like usually a person will take a longer time to replying messages from unimportant people, than for their partner. And It makes me feel like I'm not valuable and not priority to him,
I also feel like he talks to me and updates me " I will go to the gym at 2pm, is it ok? " " i will book the car now".. in the past weeks just because he had to ask me to help him communicate with the staff so he could go to gym only. I feel like he doesn't think about my feelings at all and just keep saying that he's right about everything today. I am so childish to have this argument, overrated for just 2-3 hours without any messages …
Do you guy thinks am I wrong too ? Im happy to hear and receive advices from you guys to improve myself and the relationship… 🥺

Welcome to our fifth discussion of Leviathan Wakes. Hold onto your cool detective hats or your environment suits, because we finally get some answers to our mystery! This week, we will discuss Chapters 34-40. The Marginalia post is here. You can find the Schedule here.
The discussion questions are below. One note - this is a very popular book series and TV show, but please keep in mind that not everyone has read or watched already, so be mindful not to include anything that could be a hint or a spoiler! Please mark spoilers not related to this section of the book using the format > ! Spoiler text here !< (without any spaces between the characters themselves or between the characters and the first and last words).
Now brace yourselves: here comes the juice!
Chapter Summaries:
Chapter 34 - Miller: Detective Miller and the crew of the Roci board the hidden ship (the one that captured the crew of the Scopuli before destroying it), wearing environment suits because the ship has no atmosphere - someone left the doors open. They stick together at first as they move through the ship, discovering signs of a struggle, zombie vomit, and twelve torpedo tubes big enough to destroy capital ships like the Donnager or the Canterbury. Miller uses his detective skills to determine that everyone but Julie retreated to engineering. Once there, they discover a truly grisly sight: layers of human flesh and bones are sort of fused around the reactor, which has been shut down. Naomi and Holden gasp in shock and disgust, Miller turns on his cop brain to suppress emotion and view it as a crime scene, and Amos seems… calm and able to ignore the gore. The team splits up to look for more clues.
Amos stays in engineering to start up the computers and get the reactor back online. Naomi works on the ops deck to run diagnostics. Miller and Holden head to the bridge, which wasn’t affected by the fighting onboard. Miller reviews the internal feeds and finds footage showing the captured Scopuli crew being led onto the ship, stripped, and put in restraints. Julie fights back viciously but is knocked unconscious and stuffed in a locker with a jumpsuit (which is where we met her in the prologue). The crew is left in the galley for 132 hours before they decide to make a stand, but it is quickly suppressed. One of the crew is thrown out an airlock and the others are heavily restrained as they scream and cry. Just as Miller gets to the first appearance of a vomit zombie (at hour 160 of footage), Amos yells that he’s been exposed to some radiation because the human flesh blob had damaged the reactor shielding. He decides to keep working while Alex monitors his health status from the Roci.
Then Holden calls Miller over to view one of the last feeds Julie accessed. It’s a corporate presentation video created for a man named Dresden and the board of Protogen. It features a man Miller dubs “the sociopath” because of his cold, practiced smile…and because of the content. The sociopath tells the board (and us) the history of scientific discovery on Phoebe, which was thought to just be a moon and a source of water, but became a research station when a survey found complex silicon structures in the ice. Protogen was tasked with investigating and discovered that Phoebe is not a moon but evidence of a galactic biosphere: it is an alien weapon sent towards Earth 2 ⅓ billion years ago, which never made it because of orbital mechanics. Protogen has discovered that this weapon is not alive per se; rather, it is something they’ve termed the “protomolecule” which has the ability to maintain structure while replicating other systems and manipulating them at scalable rates. Of course, they alerted the proper authorities and made sure… just kidding, they’ve secretly been doing tests. The sociopath believes that whoever controls the protomolecule will gain control of all political and economic power going forward. Chillingly, the sociopath urges them to pursue large-scale testing to understand the protomolecule and its human applications. That large-scale testing is Eros.
TL;DR - Julie found evidence that Protogen (her dad’s company) has discovered an alien weapon, branded it the “protomolecule”, and secretly tested it on the people of Eros (and probably other smaller tests). The entire war has just been a distraction.
Chapter 35 - Holden: Naomi explains that most of the messages on the comm logs have been coded, but the last one is in plain text: the captain informed Thoth Station that the ship was contaminated, everyone was about to die, and the “materials” had been secured. He also planned to send vector data so they could find the ship. The Roci crew put two and alien-symbol-for-two together: they figure out that the captain has locked protomolecule samples in his safe. They also decide that the tightbeam messages were being sent to a secret research station Protogen was using to monitor the Eros experiment. Even though the fact “Naomi is the best” is a proven concept on par with “space is cold”, she is NOT able to open the captain’s safe, so they decide to cut it out of the wall and bring it with them on the Roci. They also scuttle the ship so no one can a) recover the stealth technology and alien weapons, or b) get exposed to the protomolecule-human soup inside. (Amos would have preferred to hack the frozen dead body goo off the reactor with a chainsaw and salvage such an impressive and expensive ship, which is… another way to go.)
It’s clear that someone else with stealth tech is searching actively for this ship, but the Roci won’t see them coming so they decide to get the hell out of Dodge. Naomi jokes that their options include turning the safe over to the OPA (they’d be heroes), selling out to Mars (they’d be rich), or starting their own biotech firm (just kidding, that’s evil). When Miller checks in with Holden about a decision on where to go next, he drops a figurative bomb on him regarding actual bombs in the news. Since Holden did his best Edward Snowden impersonation and leaked the data that the mystery ships are from Earth, Mars asked a few too many questions and in response, Earth has blown up a whole bunch of Martian ships and destroyed the Deimos deep radar station. Miller ruefully gives Holden credit for sticking to his guns about his belief in “free information”. He also points out that Holden’s principles make him responsible for all those deaths and the destruction of the Earth-Mars Coalition… and possibly the universe as they know it.
Chapter 36 - Miller: The war between Mars and the Belt seems like no big deal now that Earth and Mars are fighting. Miller watches the news feeds as the conflict turns into a blockade, and he realizes he is steeling himself for an announcement of a planetary attack on Earth or Mars, but it never comes. He and Amos deal with the stress by having beer for breakfast.
Miller meets up with Holden in the med bay for their routine blood flushes and cancer treatments, and they reopen their debate about what to do with the data files and who is to blame for the war(s).

• Holden’s position: Broadcast everything to everyone! (I know, I know, so out of character, right?) People will understand that they’ve been set up and will turn their wrath on Protogen instead of each other. Also, these are ancient conflicts. The Belt has always hated Mars and the inner planets in general. Mars and Earth have always had animosities secretly brewing and they do military training for the inevitable showdown. Or as Miller puts it, “Not my powder keg; I just brought the match.”
• Miller’s position: Stop and consider what people will do if they hear an Earth company did this. Every other data leak has been used as an excuse to shoot at someone the other side doesn’t like. Also, people suck. They aren’t going to hold hands and sing Kumbaya just because Protogen is the bad guy. They’ll move on to shooting each other so they can be the ones to control the protomolecule. Or as Holden puts it, “Maybe Protogen is a little right. People are too dumb to be trusted with big information so we should keep hard, scary stuff a big secret. That’ll totally work out.”

Holden’s idealism starts to fade as he takes in Miller’s hard truths about humanity. To be fair, Miller loses a little idealism over his perceptions of the inner planets’ relationship which, to the Belt, seemed stable and friendly enough (and united against them). Miller encourages Holden to use Naomi’s judgment as a measuring stick for whether something is right (similar to how he uses illusion-Julie as his conscience and sounding board) and then he goes back to the news feeds to watch Ceres slowly collapse into chaos. Holden decides the only person and place he trusts - or at least doesn’t completely distrust - is Fred Johnson on Tycho Station, so they head there. Holden also wonders why they don’t just destroy the safe and make sure everyone stays away from Eros and Phoebe; Miller admits it’s because the protomolecule might just be the holy grail.
Chapter 37 - Holden: The crew of the Roci is taking a break from doom scrolling to cook fake space lasagna for dinner and bond over the food and conversation. As Holden watches the crew laugh at Amos’s belches and Miller’s wild story about cheese smuggling, he reflects that they represent all three prongs of the conflict: Naomi and Miller are Belters, Amos and he are from Earth, and Alex is from Mars. Yet they’re friends, and Holden knows this is what they have to fight for. The cheese smuggling makes no sense to Amos (why cheese and not drugs?), and Naomi points out that this illustrates how little people from the inner planets understand Belters. Earthers have free air and easy access to resources, while Belters know everything that sustains life is rare and their access to it is fragile. And this is why Protogen didn’t blink an eye before killing 1.5 million Belters on Eros: they’re “other”. Then Alex points out that this doesn’t make sense; it's a risky and unnecessarily complicated way to kill people just to satisfy prejudices. It becomes clear that Eros isn’t a hate crime, it’s a vacuum-sealed test tube to let the protomolecule learn how to do its job better by giving it access to a huge amount of biomass. The early transformations looked incomplete, as if it didn’t know how to work with human flesh yet, so Protogen was giving it a chance to train. Holden wants to know where they would even find enough people who would support an evil operation like this, and Miller promises to ask Dresden (the Protogen board member mentioned in the video) when they meet him. Something tells me that conversation won’t go well.
As the Roci approaches Tycho station, Holden and Miller take in the view of the Nauvoo, the partially constructed Mormon generation ship. When Miller says the Mormans may be in for a long and lonely death if they don’t find a habitable planet, Holden notes that this is the good kind of galactic exploration humans can accomplish (the protomolecule being the bad kind). Miller then asks Holden why he trusts Fred, and Holden explains that in addition to being the only person who hasn’t tried to jail them or blow them up since all this began, Fred is “real OPA”: he’s a politician and not part of the war-mongering factions who think they can survive indefinitely without the inner planets. When Miller points out that there isn’t a political solution to Protogen, Holden insists Fred has other skills, too. Later, Fred reads through all the information on the protomolecule and is incredulous that anyone could think to do this. Miller assures him that genocide is an old-school crime and it’s important that they stop it. Holden offers up the location of the observation station in exchange for enough OPA fighters to take down Protogen, and the right to retain custody of the safe and its contents. Fred agrees only after Holden points out that no one else can be trusted to do the right thing with a secret this big. Plus, he says Fred already knows what Holden will do with it.
Chapter 38 - Miller: It feels strange to Miller to explore the wide open spaces of Tycho Station, the fanciest place he has ever set foot on. He notices Naomi working on her hand terminal and letting her food get cold; she is too preoccupied with trying to figure out the location of the station to enjoy the amenities. As they talk, Miller is reminded of Havelock’s advice to just let go when he got pulled off a case, which jogs his memory that Havelock actually works for Protogen! (I’m surprised he didn’t get there faster; maybe everyone had a point that he was sort of a washed up detective.) He rushes off to make contact with his old buddy - probably his last real partner ever - in an encrypted drop site of a Ganymede server cluster. As he waits for a response, Miller is amused to realize he has started thinking like Holden: he feels like someone should warn the Mormans that they could potentially run into the alien creators of the protomolecule who may want to kill them. Havelock comes through, passing along the coordinates to a “very scary deep research and development lab” and asking Miller to be discreet never contact him again so he doesn’t get killed for betraying his employer. Miller sends him an encrypted warning to quit his job ASAP and not take postings at any black ops sites, before saying goodbye for the last time to the only person that still respected him as a cop. (I may or may not be sniffling a bit at this.)
Miller rounds up Naomi and Holden so they can bring Fred the coordinates. In Fred’s office, Miller starts lecturing him about the serious nature of the mission and the need to have a solid plan with adequate firepower, not the usual OPA shenanigans. Everyone’s a little confused until they realize that Miller doesn’t know that Fred is “the butcher of Anderson Station” and a former Colonel in the Earth Navy. Fred assures Miller he’s no amateur and will plan ahead. Miller then insists that he get to come along for the assault on Thoth Station. Eight days later, the plan is set in motion and Miller begins packing his meager belongings into a very small bag, figuring he’ll never see the Roci again. Even if he makes it off Thoth alive, he’ll have to figure out a way to make money and improvise a life plan of some sort. He tries to thank Holden and say goodbye, but the Roci’s captain interrupts Miller to ask where they’ll all meet up after the mission is complete. Miller is confused at first, then overcome with emotion when he realizes Holden considers Miller part of the crew! I’m not crying, you’re crying. Actually, it’s Miller who is weeping. But he pulls himself together so he can head to the assault ship.
Chapter 39 - Holden: The Rocinante needs to sneak up on Thoth Station, so they are pretending to be a loose cargo container that broke off the Guy Molinari (the Belter ship carrying the assault team, which is pretending to be a cargo ship). They fly with everything shut down so that it’s more convincing, hoping they can get close enough to the station to do some damage before Thoth starts firing back. As they approach and are able to reboot everything needed for battle, a stealth ship is spied hanging out near Thoth Station. Then, suddenly it becomes clear that there are two small stealth ships, which will be much harder to fight off. Everyone does their jobs efficiently on the Roci, but in the ensuing battle with the stealth ships, they start to take some damage. First, the Roci is hit by a gauss cannon that goes straight through the machine shop and galley. Holden mourns his coffee maker. Amos notices a leak in the maneuvering thrusters and heads to fix it between the inner and outer hulls, which isn’t an ideal place to be floating around during a battle. This stresses Naomi out, but Holden orders everyone to stay focused. They are able to take out one of the stealth ships, but the other gets close enough to do some impressive damage to the Roci. There is major hull damage as well as loss of four maneuvering thrusters, a PDC, their O2 storage, and the crew airlock. Alex is about to destroy the second stealth ship when the Roci’s point defense cannons (PDCs) detonate an enemy warhead up close. It knocks everyone out, punches holes throughout the Roci (narrowly missing Naomi), dislodges equipment, and fills the ship with debris. Holden marvels that they are alive at all, and Alex points out that is only because the ship’s anti-spalling webbing eliminates shrapnel. They make contact with Fred, who says he’ll find them a place to land, and the Guy Molinari prepares for the assault on Thoth Station. It’s Miller’s turn to shine!
Chapter 40 - Miller: On the Guy Molinari, Miller is talking to a Belter kid named Diogo as they wait for the assault to start. Miller realizes that while he has fancy Martian armor from the Roci and experience with gunfights in station corridors, he is surrounded by inexperienced young Belters with borrowed gear, and he will likely have to watch dozens of them die during the battle. But Diogo isn’t worried; he is confident and eager to get started. Fred announces that they are ready to start boarding since the Roci gave them the “all clear”, and Miller is happy to hear his friends have survived. The assault on the station starts off rough, with Protogen soldiers fighting them in the corridors and automatic defense lasers taking out some of the Belters in the first wave. But Fred knows how to command his OPA “troops” and keep them in line, and things start to go more smoothly as they slow down and maneuver carefully. Miller and Diogo are part of a group taking shelter at Fred’s direction and fending off Protogen counterattacks, and they start to talk during a lull. When two Protogen soldiers sneak up on them from behind, Diogo is hit and Miller chastises himself for chatting during a battle and not staying alert. He thinks Diogo is dead, but he pops up laughing and streaked with white goo from crowd suppression rounds, which Miller finds an odd choice of weapon. It’s the first sign that Thoth Station may not totally understand what’s happening. The OPA soldiers cut their way through the blast doors to get to the operations center, where they find Dresden (the dude mentioned in the sociopath’s Protogen video). Fred arrives to take command of the station, and Dresden offers to negotiate, clearly misunderstanding the reason for the assault. He offers to give the OPA whatever resources they need to go back to fighting their war (money, medical supplies, weapons, ordnance) if they’ll just leave and let the station get back to their very important work. Fred points out that they know about Eros, but Dresden insists no one knows what they did there, and there won’t be a better bargaining position for Fred when Earth sends its battleships. Fred basically calls Dresden Satan, but Dresden doesn’t understand the reference.

The landscape of education and professional development is changing dramatically in the fast-paced , technologically-driven world of today, Even if traditional school courses are still important, alternative credentialing programs that provide flexibility and focused skill development, are becoming more and more prevalent. Micro-credentials, and digital badges are two of these developments that are starting to change how people and employers view education and career advancement. They are becoming effective instruments for lifelong learning and skill development.
What are Micro-Credentials?
Micro-credentials are certifications that attest to a person's competence in particular knowledge domains or skill sets. They are sometimes shown as digital badges. Micro-credentials, which concentrate on specific competences relevant to industry demands, can be obtained very rapidly in contrast to standard degrees or certificates, which demand years of study.
The Growth of Micro-Credentials:
Industry Demand for Particular capabilities: As industries change, there is a greater need for current, specialized capabilities. Professionals can learn and exhibit these skills without having to enroll in lengthy training programs thanks to micro-credentials.
Flexibility and Accessibility: Coursera, edX, and LinkedIn Learning are just a few of the online platforms that provide micro-credential programs. These platforms also offer flexible learning alternatives. Working professionals can now more easily participate in continuous learning without having to take time away from their employment because to this accessibility.
Recognition and Credibility: A lot of micro-credentials are supported by respectable organizations or business titans, giving the abilities they certify legitimacy. Companies such as Google, IBM, and Microsoft, for instance, provide widely recognized micro-credentials in their respective professions.
Supporting Continuous Professional Development
Bridging the Skill Gap: They assist in bridging the abilities that employees possess and the skills that companies require. This is especially crucial in industries that are evolving quickly, such as technology, healthcare, and finance.
Career Advancement: Micro-credentials offer professionals who want to grow in their jobs a means to show their dedication to their area and acquire new competencies. Promotions, pay raises, or changes to new positions may result from this.
Personalized Learning Paths: Students can customize their education to meet their career and personal objectives by selecting from a variety of micro-credentials. This adjustment makes it possible to approach skill development in a more focused manner.
Stackable Credentials: A lot of micro-credentials allow you to build up to a larger certification or degree over time by stacking them. Learning is made more flexible to meet the needs of each student thanks to this modular approach
Impact on Traditional Education Systems

1. Integration into Formal Education
   
2. Shift in Employer Perception
   
3. Encouragement of Lifelong Learning
   
4. Educational Innovation
   

Challenges and Considerations

1. Standardization and Recognition
   
2. Quality Assurance
   
3. Access and Equity
   

Digital badges and micro-credentials mark a dramatic change in the way that professional development and education are delivered. Offering adaptable, focused, and reliable routes to skill development, they encourage lifelong learning and assist professionals in remaining competitive in a labor market that is constantly evolving. Employers and traditional education institutions must both change to accept these new credentialing models as the trend grows, making sure they are fairly and successfully included into the larger educational environment. The emergence of micro-credentials represents a paradigm shift in how we approach education and job advancement in the twenty-first century, not merely a passing fad (trend).
https://www.reddit.com/usetalentserve/

Education #SkillAcquisition #Future #EdTech #DigitalBadges #MicroCredentials

Need professional advice
Hi! I’m not certain this is the right sub to post on here, but figured I’d give it a shot.
I have a 2020 Buick Encore GX, 1.2 liter turbo 3 cylinder. I bought it brand new, and at this point have around 37,000 miles on it.
I’ve had a heck of a time taking it to the dealership I purchased the car, the past 4 months. I was curious about your professional perspective on the situation.
February - Check engine light came on. Took it in, warranty covered this repair:
1: Loose connector on the ECM, cleaned, reinstalled 2. Recall programmed ECM per recall procedure 3. Recall programmed BSCM per recall procedure
March - Car shit out. Didn’t know what it was - Towed it there & had battery replaced.
Last week: Check engine, “reduced power engine” message.
Felt a little uneasy with the dual problems in a row, so asked to speak to the service manager. She reviewed my file: “I see you had your battery replaced..and then you…came in for recalls?” Me- No I also had another issue that visit Her: “Oh….How do I say this without…do you want to be put with another service advisor?”
Super confidence inducing. Didn’t ask questions but said yes.
She also worked in the phone call “these encores. They’re a revolving door of problems” and advised me to “get out while I can with my warranty” she said years 2017-2020 are issue after issue. She also told me once I hit 50k my AC will go out and my car will start over heating., and “if you tell anyone I said anything, I’ll deny it”
I considered her warning, while waiting on my 3rd diagnosis. This time it is this:
35643 turbocharger p0299. found turbocharger rattling on cold start wastegate shaft rattling in turbocharger.
I’m taking the car in Wednesday to have the repair done (warranty covered). They had sent me back in my vehicle after diagnosis (no loaner cars) while waiting for part to ship.
However after several slip ups by this dealership and a huge lack in communication (I’ll spare you these details), I’m not certain I trust this ladies opinion about “getting out while I can”
I’ve researched my make and model and don’t see anything crazy worrisome. I’m aware I don’t have a Toyota or Honda - but has anyone heard or seen huge issues with this, is my car that much of a risk to stick with, or is she scamming me?
For reference I totally don’t want a car payment if I don’t need one. Can’t afford to buy another new car. Just want to weigh my risk here.
Thanks in advanced :)
Signed, very car illiterate

Hello
I am M(37) and married for 8 years after 2 year of courting so 10 year of relation. We have a kid 4 year old.
I don't know if I'm gay but I have identified myself to be bisexual from atleast age of 17 or so. My first intro to sex was abuse in boarding school by a senior for couple of months. But then I guess I started enjoying it and post collage started seeking pleasure in men's company. I am a side if that matters.
I have been struggling with my identity as I did had fare relationship incl sexual with female ( 3 girlfriends ) before I finally married 3rd.
I never had courage to come out to her but she had guessed long back through my social footprints here and there and one fine day we spilled our sexual journey to each other. I didn't had courage to tell her 100% truth and that's where I started failing I guess. I still have that urge of finding a men's companionship specially that hug. I have never looked at them for a concrete relationship other than FWB. BUT Inspite of knowing that I am damaging her and my kid with this I kept doing it with no concrete frequency but anywhere like 3-4 times a year with mostly close knit circle of friends.
To current date, I cheated again with one of my friend and she got to know. We had a deep discussion of all these years how this has broken us and our relationship.
I don't expect her to forgive me for this as I don't know if I can forgive myself. But I need help. I don't want to loose her and my family but I know I have damaged it so much that it will never be same.
I am seeking counselling in Bangalore ( india ) if anyone knows and in general I have removed all contact with my other side of bisexuality with a hope that I can fight my ugly side and focus on people who have helped me be what I am now.
I know it's not easy path but any suggestion will go a great deal in trying to apply some sort of happy bandaid if possible before I loose all that we built.
She has not dumped me as of now but for sure she is disconnected herself from me a big deal. We are living in same house, this does give me hope to build it all again and make amend for what I broke for my own pleasure and fantasies.
**TL;DR;** : Bisexual married for 8 years and broke all her trust, now it's a one way journey to win her back
Seeking here whatever help possible

Reddit Account: MallAffectionate9
Discord Tag: m.ro
Name and House: Marq Grafton.
Age: 32.
Cultural Group: Valeman Andal.
Appearance: Taller than a Grafton has any right to be at six-foot-four, wide of shoulder and hard with muscle. Blonde and fair-skinned, with wavy short hair and an equally short beard. Blue-eyed and handsome, most commonly dressed in fineries bearing the colors of his house.
Trait: Strong.
Skill(s): Two-Handed Weapons (E), Andal Knight (E), First Man Warrior.
Talent(s): Hunting, axe-throwing, playing dice.
Negative Trait(s): N/A.
Starting Title(s): Ser, Heir to Gulltown, the Magnificent.
Starting Location: King's Landing.
Timeline:
7 BC - Marq is born in Gulltown as the first child of his parents, Ser Mandon Grafton and Lady Janyce Templeton.
3 BC - Marq's younger sister, Maris, is born in Gulltown.
0 BC - Marq's father, Ser Mandon, dies after Vhagar sets the Gulltown fleet on fire during the Battle off Gulltown. Marq becomes the heir to Gulltown.
1 AC - Marq is sent as a page and cup-bearer to [placeholder].
4 AC - Marq is sent off to [placeholder] to squire for [placeholder].
11 AC - Marq is knighted for valor at one of the many melees hosted at Driftmark.
14 AC - Marq wins a melee at Driftmark.
16 AC - Marq attends the festivities in the Kingswood, only narrowly escaping with his life but distinguishing himself as a warrior and not a mere tourney knight.
20 AC - Marq marries Corenna Corbray, the first-born daughter of Lord Corwyn Corbray of Heart's Home.
21 AC - Marq places well in the lists at the Strawberry tourney, though is defeated by Ser Roland Arryn. The two befriend eachother.
23 AC - Marq places second in a melee at Driftmark.
25 AC - Marq travels toward the capital for the name-day celebrations of the two heirs to the throne to represent his lord grandfather, who cites reasons of age for not attending - but in truth just refuses to attend a dragon's celebrations.
Family Tree: Link.
Supporting Characters:
Lady Maris Grafton - Ship Captain - Younger sister, Captain of the Beacon Fire and the de-facto Admiral of Gulltown. Wife of Ser Jonos Arryn.
Maester Osfryd - Scholar - Maester of Gulltown, a landed knight's bastard from a small village near Rosby. An experienced historian who dabbles in the healing arts - among other things.
Non-Archetyped NPCs:
Ser Gerold Grafton - Lord Commander of the City Watch of Gulltown, uncle.
Ser Jon Grafton - Sworn shield of Lord Mathos, son of Ser Gerold, cousin.
Rhea Grafton - Cousin, daughter of Ser Gerold.
Uther Shett - Seneschal.
Mandon - Septon.
Alys - Septa.
Ser Qyle Stone - Master-at-Arms.
Ser Creighton Arryn (of Gulltown) - Captain of the Guards.
Ser Pate the Sailor - Harbormaster.
Alloquo of Braavos - Shipwright.

Auxiliary Character:

Name and House: Mathos Grafton.
Age: 74.
Cultural Group: Valeman Andal.
Appearance: Wrinkled and nearly bald, with white hair and equally white whiskers - save for a stubborn bit of his moustache that maintains the Grafton coloring, Mathos looks just about how you'd expect a man of his advanced age to look like. Standing at five-foot-ten, the years have withered away what was once a slim albeit muscular body. Blue-eyed and fair-skinned, with an authoritative look about him. Though he just looks old now, he was considered a dashing young man in his prime.
Trait: Numerate.
Skill(s): Avaricious (E), Scrutinous
Talent(s): Finance, reading, hawking, brooding.
Negative Trait(s): Elderly.
Starting Title(s): Lord of Gulltown, Warden of the Bay of Crabs, Protector of Trade, Ser, the Old.
Starting Location: Gulltown.
Biography:
Timeline:
49 BC - Mathos is born as the second son of his sire, Lord Maladon Grafton.
30 BC - Mathos is knighted after a naval battle in the Narrow Sea, where a Gulltown merchant convoy comes under attack by pirates from the Summer Isles.
29 BC - Mathos is wed, and soon after his first-born son, Mandon, is born.
26 BC - Mathos embarks on a journey across the world, travelling from the Arbor to Qarth. During this time, his elder brother Alesandor throws himself out of the Moon Door at the Eyrie for reasons not entirely clear to anyone else, making Mathos the heir to Gulltown.
22 BC - After the death of his father from injuries sustained during a duel of honor against the Lord of Longbow Hall, Mathos becomes the Lord of Gulltown.
19 BC - Mathos's second-born, Gerold, is born at Gulltown.
12 BC - Mathos enacts a new customs policy, bringing in lucrative amounts of exotic trade from Essos. With his new-found wealth, he finances a vast fleet to be constructed.
7 BC - Mathos's grandson, Marq, is born at Gulltown.
3 BC - Mathos's granddaughter, Maris, is born at Gulltown.
0 BC - Mathos' eldest, Mandon, dies at the Battle off Gulltown after the Gulltown armada's defeat of the Targaryen fleet. While the Vale of Arryn, and Gulltown with it, swears fealty to the three-headed dragon, Mathos swears a vow of vengeance in secret.
7 AC - Mathos discreetly finances a Riverlander plot to assassinate King Aegon I Targaryen, which succeeds.
11 AC - Mathos's grandson and heir, Marq, is knighted.
20 AC - Mathos arranges a marriage between his grandson, Ser Marq, and Lady Cyrenna Corbray, and a second between his granddaughter Lady Maris and Ser Jonos Arryn.
22 AC - Mathos withdraws from the council of advisors at the Eyrie, citing reasons of advanced age.

My boyfriend is Western , I'm Asian. He moved to my country and lived with me for 3-4 months. I paid for a gym membership that allowed me to bring 2 more people to there with me. But the rule is that I am always the one who has to check in the code before entering the gym, which means that 2 people cannot use my membership card to go to the gym by themselves. And I used it to go to the gym with my boyfriend every day. But this week I had to visit my hometown for about a week, so I had to contact the person who sold me my membership card to ask him to allow my boyfriend to check in at the gym by himself.
And for every day, we wake up, we text each other good morning, ask basic things like what “how was your sleep”, “what u are doing, “ have you eaten anything” , and he always updates me like “ i will book a car to go gym now” “ im on the way gym now”... so same that time, I can text the staff to wait there for him and support my boyfriend.
Until today, after waking up, I texted him good morning. My mind is quite sensitive today because a really bad thing happened to me yesterday and he also knows that. And Of course, my mood, my body, my weakness feelings felt I really needed his attention and his love his care today even more than other days.
After texting him good morning, I continued texting him to say that I couldn't meet him today as planned, What are you doing, when will u go to the gym, do u need any help, … At that time, it was about 2-3 hours before he got to gym every day, but after I texted for about an hour, I still didn't hear any updates from him about his gym. ( I had discussed with the gym in advance and he could check in without staff help today and I told him last night already. Because I already talked with staff, so I have to make sure to know will he go to gym instead of staying home or dont go anymore)
Then I checked his messages again, I saw he was online not too long ago and left my text on seen. I felt quite disappointed at that time but I still didn't want to send more messages to start a conversation first especially after seeing my messages being seen by him. But after about another hour, I was really worried about when he would go to the gym, and would he be able to check in with the staff ok? So I opened the app again and saw he was online a few minutes ago, but this time I sent him another message say that "I miss you". After that about 10 minutes he replied saying "use this photo for checking at gym?" and thats all… don't care about all the other messages I sent. At that moment I felt really really bad, maybe because I was in a bad mood before, but feel and even worse to think he knew I wasn't okay but thats the way he act.
About another 30 minutes, I had to do something else and couldn't wait for his gym update anymore so I sent a few more messages to ask if he had gone to the gym yet... and straight away he replied me "yea".
When he online at that time, I asked him he didn't reply to my message, leave it on seen that made me feel not good. He answered me that what should he reply me
And I feel that was terrible answer, I said that if he was busy at the time I texted, he could told me he was busy and he would reply to my message later instead of just online, and leave it on seen. Then he said "why he have to tell? You have to know by yoursel" I asked back” how can I know when you and me don't live in the same place” And what he means is that at the time he asked about “ Use this photo to check in gym?” I must understand that he was busy going to the gym. And he feels it's normal to take 2 to 3 hours to reply to someone's message
But I feel it's normal when in non-urgent situations (like me, I need to know about his time to go to the gym, so I can make sure he's allowed to go to the gym and then do another stuffs instead of waiting there for his update). Or when he's really busy and can't receive my messages not there online and seen it without reply. ( Specially, for him, every single day, for whole day, all he has to do is wake up, eat, rest play phone, go to gym, go back home, rest, eat, play phone, sleep thats all. )
I feel like usually a person will take a longer time to replying messages from unimportant people, than for their partner. And It makes me feel like I'm not valuable and not priority to him,
I also feel like he talks to me and updates me " I will go to the gym at 2pm, is it ok? " " i will book the car now".. in the past weeks just because he had to ask me to help him communicate with the staff so he could go to gym only. I feel like he doesn't think about my feelings at all and just keep saying that he's right about everything today. I am so childish to have this argument, overrated for just 2-3 hours without any messages …
Do you guy thinks am I wrong too ? Im happy to hear and receive advices from you guys to improve myself and the relationship… 🥺

This question gets asked at least 3 times a week, and so I figured I'd share my experiences in a central place so folks can search for it easier. If you've had some experiences you'd like to share in the comments, that would be cool as well.
Disclaimer: I have 1 book, it's non-fiction, and unique in that is applies specifically to political campaigning. My genre is very niche. Thus, your mileage will probably vary from mine. Additionally, I say the word "profitable", but that doesn't mean wildly successful, just that I'm no longer losing money on amazon ads. From starting, it took 4 months of tweaking for me to earn a profit in a single month, and 2 more months before I made my money back.
Campaigns: Set up one of each of the Automatic, Keyword, and Product campaigns. After a few months you'll hopefully be able to open a "Winning Campaign" for the Keywords and Products to track your successes separately. Don't do custom text yet (US only), more on that down in A/B testing.
Ads: If your book comes in more than 1 format, pick the format that has the highest royalties. Again, you can test variations later.
Targets (keywords and products/categories): Go wide at first. Search for your book using the search terms(keywords) you think people will use, and add them to your campaign targets. There are plenty of services (google the term "amazon keyword tool") to help you come up with new ones. Just keep adding things, but don't be ridiculous.
After a while (like 2-3 months) if you notice that some targets just don't produce sales. If they have 50+ clicks, then just turn them off.
Bids: The big trick is to let it run long enough to really know your target cost per click. Start very small (ignore "suggested bid") and only increase later. Set these to "Dynamic bids - down only". I am serious about ignoring the suggested bid. I watched a video that said to set my bids to the suggested and max out at a dollar, but I hemorrhaged money. The people making these videos don't know the break even point of your book.
Bid adjustment: After about 200 clicks, calculate the average number of clicks before you get a sale. Then divide your royalties by that number and set your bids to slightly lower than that. Don't worry about impressions, since you only pay for clicks. For me that calculation look like this - My royalties are $5.50 per book, and the ads have sold 61 copies ($335.5 total), it took me 855 clicks to get those sales (conversion rate: 14 clicks per sale), so each click should cost $0.40. You should actually do this calculation separately for each of your campaign types. My Products campaign is set to $0.25 and my Keywords bid is set to $0.75. Unless your book royalties, and conversion rate is the same as mine, don't use my bid numbers.
Budget: Unless your bids are high, it shouldn't matter how you set it. Mine is at $10 a day, and amazon literally never uses that. Just pick a number you don't mind losing, and you'll be fine.
Winning Campaigns: Slowly, as you notice certain keywords, categories, or products produce sales at a higher rate than that average, you can spin those off into a separate "Winning Campaign" and set the bid slightly higher. My Winning Products has 4 categories and 0 product targets. My Winning Keywords has 2 keywords in it.
Remember that bid calculation from above? Do it again for each target and set the rate on each one individually.
A/B Testing: I said above not to do custom text. Well now that you have a winning campaign with profitable targets it's time to start. You can google for ideas, but I've tried a few different variations of themes from my blurb, excerpts from reviews, and just whatever I could come up with.
Other than custom text, there are number of things you can try. If you have an idea, spin it off into its own campaign, and give it a try. After a reasonable number of click (50-200 probably) you can safely call it statically relevant and turn off the losing version.
Final Tips: Be patient. Don't obsess. Don't change things too often. Keep good notes. Good luck!

I can think of a few reasons, but let's see if I miss anything:

1. The Moon is silvery white and so is the Simurgh.
2. She pretty much evokes the imagery of Gabriel (effeminate angel who is symbolically associated with the Moon).
3. The Moon is associated with lunacy, which the Simurgh is good at inducing in people.
4. The Moon and how it changes phases is sometimes compared to fate. The Simurgh and her manipulation of victims' future is linked to the idea of fate as per Tattletale.
5. The Simurgh can yeet Wheatley with her telekinesis, like how GLaDOS can yeet Wheatley with her crane arm.

Also, do Shards not settle on parallel Earths? If so, why does the Shard making up the Simurgh (not the main "Endbringer-creating" one, but the one that fuels her precognition, telekinesis, and brain surgery powers) get to settle on the Moon, and how would it interfere with her energy expenditure?

In the ever-evolving world of search engine optimization (SEO), understanding and implementing the latest strategies is crucial for staying ahead of the competition. One such strategy is semantic SEO. This approach focuses on the meaning behind the words and phrases users type into search engines, rather than just the keywords themselves. But what exactly is semantic SEO, and why is it important? Let’s dive in.

The Basics of Semantic SEO

At its core, SEO is about optimizing content for the intent behind a user’s search query. Instead of focusing solely on specific keywords, semantic SEO considers the context and relationships between words to provide more relevant and comprehensive search results. This approach aligns with how search engines like Google are becoming increasingly sophisticated in understanding and processing language.

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How Semantic SEO Works

Semantic SEO leverages advanced algorithms that understand natural language and context. These algorithms can interpret synonyms, related concepts, and even the sentiment behind queries. By optimizing your content with a semantic approach, you help search engines better understand the context of your content, which can lead to higher rankings and more relevant traffic.

Why Are Semantic Keywords Important in SEO?

Semantic keywords are crucial because they reflect the way people naturally speak and search. Here are a few reasons why they matter:

1. Enhanced User Experience: Content that addresses the user’s intent provides a better experience, which can lead to longer site visits and lower bounce rates.
2. Improved Search Engine Understanding: By using semantic keywords, you help search engines grasp the broader context of your content, making it easier for them to match it with relevant queries.
3. Higher Rankings: Content optimized for semantic search is more likely to rank higher because it aligns with the sophisticated algorithms of modern search engines.
4. Increased Visibility: Semantic keywords can help your content appear in a wider range of search results, capturing traffic from various related queries.

The Role of Structured Data in Semantic SEO

Structured data plays a significant role in semantic SEO. It helps search engines understand the context of your content by providing explicit clues about the meaning behind it. Implementing structured data, such as schema markup, can enhance your site’s search engine visibility by enabling rich snippets and other enhanced search results features.

Semantic SEO Tools

Several tools can help you implement a semantic SEO strategy effectively. Here are some of the most popular ones:

1. Google’s Natural Language API: This tool analyzes text to understand the structure and meaning behind it.
2. SEMrush: Offers features to identify semantic keywords and analyze content for semantic SEO.
3. Ahrefs: Provides insights into related keywords and their context, helping you optimize your content.
4. MarketMuse: Uses AI to suggest content improvements and identify semantic gaps in your writing.
5. Surfer SEO: Analyzes top-ranking pages to help you optimize your content semantically.

Implementing Semantic Keywords in Your SEO Strategy

Incorporating semantic keywords into your SEO strategy involves several steps:

1. Keyword Research: Start by identifying primary keywords related to your topic. Then, use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to find related terms and phrases.
2. Content Creation: Write content that naturally incorporates these keywords. Focus on creating comprehensive, in-depth articles that cover the topic from multiple angles.
3. Use Synonyms and Related Terms: Don’t just repeat the same keywords. Use synonyms and related terms to create a more natural and varied text.
4. Optimize for User Intent: Consider what users are looking for when they type a query. Aim to answer their questions and solve their problems.
5. Structured Data: Implement schema markup to help search engines understand the context of your content.

Case Study: Successful Semantic SEO

Let’s look at a hypothetical case study to understand the impact of semantic SEO. Imagine a travel blog looking to increase its organic traffic. By adopting a semantic SEO strategy, they might do the following:

1. Identify User Intent: Understand that users searching for “best travel destinations” might also be interested in “affordable travel destinations” or “family-friendly travel spots.”
2. Create Comprehensive Guides: Develop detailed guides covering various aspects of travel destinations, including costs, activities, and family-friendly options.
3. Use Structured Data: Implement schema markup to highlight key information, such as location, price range, and user reviews.
4. Monitor and Adjust: Continuously use tools like Google Analytics and SEMrush to monitor performance and adjust the content strategy as needed.

By focusing on the semantic relationships between keywords and understanding user intent, the travel blog can attract a broader audience and rank higher in search results.

Common Misconceptions About Semantic SEO

There are several misconceptions about semantic SEO that can hinder its effective implementation:

1. It’s Just About Using Synonyms: While synonyms are part of it, semantic SEO is more about understanding and addressing user intent.
2. It Replaces Traditional SEO: Semantic SEO complements rather than replaces traditional SEO practices. Both are essential for a successful strategy.
3. Only Big Sites Can Benefit: Any site, regardless of size, can implement semantic SEO to improve its rankings and visibility.

Future of Semantic SEO

The future of semantic SEO looks promising as search engines continue to evolve. Here are some trends to watch:

1. Voice Search: With the rise of voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, optimizing for natural language queries will become even more crucial.
2. AI and Machine Learning: These technologies will further enhance search engines’ ability to understand context and intent.
3. Visual and Video Search: As visual and video content becomes more prevalent, understanding the semantics of these formats will be key.

Conclusion

Semantic SEO is a powerful strategy that goes beyond traditional keyword optimization. By focusing on the meaning and context behind search queries, you can create more relevant and comprehensive content that meets user intent. Implementing semantic keywords, using structured data, and leveraging advanced SEO tools can significantly enhance your site’s search engine visibility and rankings. As search engines continue to evolve, staying ahead with semantic SEO will be essential for maintaining a competitive edge in the digital landscape.

FAQs on Semantic SEO

1. What is the difference between traditional SEO and semantic SEO?

Answer: Traditional SEO focuses on optimizing content around specific keywords to improve search engine rankings. It involves practices like keyword stuffing, backlink building, and meta tag optimization. In contrast, semantic SEO emphasizes the meaning and context behind keywords, understanding user intent, and creating content that addresses those intents comprehensively. It uses related terms, synonyms, and structured data to help search engines understand the broader context of the content.

1. How can semantic SEO improve my website’s search rankings?

Answer: Semantic SEO can enhance your website’s search rankings by aligning your content with how search engines understand and process language. By optimizing for user intent and context, you create more relevant and comprehensive content. This improves the user experience, leading to longer visits and lower bounce rates, which are positive signals to search engines. Additionally, using structured data helps search engines better understand and display your content in rich snippets, further boosting visibility.

1. What tools are best for implementing semantic SEO?

Answer: Several tools can assist with semantic SEO implementation. Some of the most popular include:

• Google’s Natural Language API: Analyzes text to understand structure and meaning.
• SEMrush: Identifies semantic keywords and analyzes content for optimization.
• Ahrefs: Provides insights into related keywords and their contexts.
• MarketMuse: Uses AI to suggest content improvements and identify semantic gaps.
• Surfer SEO: Analyzes top-ranking pages to help optimize content semantically.

1. How do I find semantic keywords for my content?

Answer: To find semantic keywords, start with thorough keyword research using tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Google Keyword Planner. Identify your primary keywords and then look for related terms, synonyms, and variations. Analyze search queries and user intent to understand what users are looking for. Tools like Answer the Public can also provide insights into common questions and topics related to your primary keywords, helping you identify semantic keywords that align with user intent.

1. Why is structured data important in semantic SEO?

Answer: Structured data is crucial in semantic SEO because it provides search engines with explicit information about the content on your website. By using schema markup, you can help search engines understand the context and relationships within your content. This can enhance your search engine visibility by enabling rich snippets, knowledge graphs, and other enhanced search results features. Structured data helps ensure that your content is accurately represented in search results, making it easier for users to find and engage with your content.
In the ever-evolving world of search engine optimization (SEO), understanding and implementing the latest strategies is crucial for staying ahead of the competition. One such strategy is semantic SEO. This approach focuses on the meaning behind the words and phrases users type into search engines, rather than just the keywords themselves. But what exactly is semantic SEO, and why is it important? Let’s dive in.

My wife’s best friend who I will call Sarah moved in with us about 1 month ago after her husband had her arrested for getting physical with him and scratching his face. I have been a mutual friend with both Sarah and her husband that I will John. Our kids are friends and we would often get the families together. We have been put in the middle of the feud. John has a restraining order out on Sarah and the only way she gets to see the kids is supervised visitation. John listed my wife as the person that has to be present while her kids visit in 3 hour time blocks. I thought it was weird that John only listed my wife on there considering I am the only one (between my wife and I) that directly communicates with him (text and calls). John and my wife were always cordial to one another but between all 4 of us, they are the only two that had no real friendship. My wife is prettier than Sarah, and I have caught John staring at my wife’s chest and ass in the past. It never bothered me. During one of John and Sarah’s last fights, he said that Sarah’s face looked much older than my wife’s (both are very into skincare and anti-aging, so this really pissed Sarah off). John is an incredibly controlling husband that treated Sarah very poorly and my wife has always said that he is such an asshole and that she can’t stand him.
This is where things began to get weird…
After Sarah moved in, John continued to call me to discuss his wife. My wife told me that I was being too kind to him after the way he has treated her so poorly over the years, and having her arrested. My wife told me that it was time to choose a side (Sarah’s) and to stop talking with John. She told me I was two faced for continuing to speak with him. She called him Satan because he was already running around with a few different women and their kids, all while taunting her in various ways and trying to destroy her life. Suddenly John starts reaching out to my wife to schedule visitations with their kids based on my wife’s schedule. He could’ve listed both of us on the supervision list but he only put my wife. I suspect that he felt like it would lead to an open line of communication between the two of them(previously my wife didn’t even have his number in her phone) My wife acted very annoyed that she was put in that position because he never asked beforehand.. basically if Sarah wanted to see her kids, my wife would need to be involved. Here is where things got weird…
We had a birthday party for one of our daughters and we invited his kids to her party. He brought the kids and oddly stayed in the area with his youngest and waited around, but didn’t join the party. Later that day I sent him a text thanking him for the gifts they got. The next morning(Mother’s Day), one of the first things my wife does is send him a thank you text that I felt was a “gushing” thank you. It was weird to me that he was not only the first thank you text that she sent, but she only sent 3 out of the 8-9 parents that were there.
Is this thank you a bit much?
“We had the gifts mixed up but Sarah later clarified the gifts with the flower wrapping paper were from y'all! But as you can see, she loved them. Thank you very much for going out of your way to get them and for bringing the kids out to celebrate with Tara(our daughter) and waiting so patiently with jane(his youngest daughter). It meant so much to us!”
Here was my thank you the night before …
“Thanks a lot for all the stuff for Tara. She loved it all. You got much more than you should’ve”
John’s reply to my wife’s thank you text and then wishing her happy Mother’s Day.
“You are so welcome, a bit sad we were not able to be there as a complete family. Praying next year is different.”
“Happy Mothers Day, the kids and Dave are so blessed to have you.” (Clearly a compliment to her and a dig at his wife)
My wife’s reply…
Sunday 1:56 PM Thank you! I am sorry for leaving you hanging about today. Would you like to plan for around 430-730? We are getting a slow start and I just hoped to go to the beach for a little bit.
(She just says thank you? I would’ve thought she would’ve also said that their kids are blessed to have her best friend as a mom as well)
-John’s reply- That sounds perfect. See you then. Sunday 2:58 PM
(Sarah then sent a screenshot of the family app that they are legally allowed to communicate on. She told him that he was intruding on my wife’s Mother’s Day, and it was stressing my wife out, which was true. After seeing what Sarah told John, my wife felt compelled to reach back out to John with the following…
“Hey John. I'm not stressed. It just took forever to get the kids ready and out”
Keep in mind that he has repeatedly verbally abused her friend, has been hanging out with other woman, kicked her out of her house without her belongings, reported her to the state licensing board for her “arrest” and caused her license to be suspended, told her that he hope she died during an upcoming surgery she was supposed to have, and insulted her by implying that she was a harm to her kids and her best friend needed supervision during the time she spent with her kids… I was called “two faced” and told I was betraying Sarah, simply because I would answer John’s calls and texts.
We get home and John brings his kids over with a Mother’s Day plant and card (same ones, for my wife and Sarah). I thought this was weird and another way of slighting at Sarah, putting the two of them on the same level. The next day, my wife (who doesn’t garden) was watering the plants and walking around with the plants looking for a place to plant them. (I mentioned to Sarah that my wife watered the plants and she seems very surprised and upset that she did that, considering it was intended to be a slight to her.). I was very surprised considering our 9-year-old got her a plant from Lowe’s a year or two ago and she simply let it dry out and die on the counter (never watering it) which really hurt our daughters feelings….
Two days later I looked at my wife’s messages with John and was very surprised. My wife knew I had looked at her phone and sent me a nasty text to stay off of it. I told her that I was surprised that she was being so chummy with John considering how he has been treating Sarah, and had previously called me “two faced” for continuing to talk to John. I told her that her thank you to John was “gushing” and clearly made him feel good as he gave her a compliment about how blessed we were to have her immediately after that. I told her I was also surprised that she didn’t just have me tell him thank you considering she knows we talk and are friends. My wife got really mad and said she did nothing wrong and called me a jealous psycho. She said she would show the thread to Sarah because she had nothing to hide and did nothing wrong. I told her that I would strongly advise against it because I think it would hurt Sarah’s feelings and cause her to be upset with my wife. My wife continued to call me a lot of mean names and told me I needed professional mental help. She then changed the password on her phone. She then told Sarah that it would prob be best for her and John to coordinate through the app because I was acting very bothered by her talking to John (implying jealousy).
My wife and I began talking about the situation again yesterday and I told her that I wasn’t dwelling on it but wish she would acknowledge the inappropriateness of the conversation, considering the circumstances. She refused and again began calling me a psycho that is destroying her life. I told her that if she felt like it was a completely appropriate conversation, then she should show Sarah. She refused. She then sends me the following :
“I deleted his thread and his contact information. Accidentally called his number while I was trying to figure out how and immediately hung up. I’m sure you’ll say I called him on purpose. I have a screenshot of the thread so you won’t accuse me of trying to get rid of evidence.”
As it turned out, she didn’t have a screenshot of the thread. I found it very odd that she deleted the conversation (she did it during this last argument we were having about the appropriateness of it and telling her to show Sarah..
The other things that bothered me was that I wrote a kind Mother’s Day message on her Facebook, which she saw but never acknowledged on Facebook or said anything to me, and she completely ignored my happy birthday post to our daughter on Facebook. She was so quick to acknowledge the person she called “Satan” but not to her husband. I am considering the possibility that I am overly sensitive these days. My wife just went through a real bad case of postpartum rage where she was verbally abusive toward me and I genuinely felt like she hated me. It has left me with what she believes to be ptsd and says she feels very badly about it. It was the worst thing I have ever experienced and it nearly ended our family. Am I over-reacting or was my wife out of line?
Why did she delete the thread when I pressed her to show Sarah?
Was her thank you “gushing” and a bit much, considering the circumstances?
Is my wife really the one that’s two faced?
What should I make of John’s actions with my wife? Should it rub me the wrong way!?
Was telling my wife that we were so lucky to have her flirtatious and should she have replied that they were blessed to have Sarah!?
Would Sarah be hurt by my wife’s conversation with her husband?
Why did my wife feel so anxious to be the one to thank him for the gifts directly and praise him for coming and telling him it meant so much that he brought the kids and waited around?
Thanks in advance

This is geared towards deciding what kind of service/consulting business you can start, or course you could create and sell. But also works for figuring out what kind of higher-paying job you can get, product-based business, etc.
PHASE 1: IDENTIFY
Take 30 minutes today, and 30 minutes tomorrow. Actually invest this time, over two separate days. It works 1000% better that way.
Write down as many answers as you can to the following questions:
1) What tasks are you good at?
(e.g. running, fixing cars, making girls laugh, brewing good coffee)
2) What skills have you learned well?
(e.g. programming, writing viral tweets, a sport)
3) What challenges have you overcome in life?
(e.g. fixed a stutter, overcome a phobia of X, dug yourself out of debt, lost 50 lbs)
4) In jobs you've had, what tasks did you do well at? Especially if you became the "go-to" guy when anyone needed this?
(e.g. calming down mad customers, creating excel spreadsheets, selling)
5) What's easy for you, that's hard for other people?
(finding great photo ops, getting girls' numbers, picking winning stocks)
Keep going until you get a MINIMUM of 30 things. 50 is better. If you don't have at least 30, think harder, and/or start asking friends what you're good at (this is a good thing to do anyway)
Once you have done that:
6) Find at least two friends and family who have known you for years. Ask them: "What have you noticed I am good at?" Ask them in a way that they can take time to give a thoughtful and thorough response (over text works well, since then you have a written record.) If they need prompting, help them with questions like:

• "What do you mean by X?"
• "Tell me more about X."
• "Can you elaborate?"
• "What else have you noticed I am good at?"

This will give you many good additions to your list, which you would never have thought of on your own.
PHASE 2: CLASSIFY
Get a sheet of blank paper, divide it into 4 quadrants. Along the top, write "FEW <-> MANY". On the side, write "LOW <-> HIGH" (but write it sideways).
Take every single item you came up with in Phase 1, and classify it in two ways:
1) FEW vs MANY - How many people does this appeal to?
(e.g. Few: tuning your race car, advanced mathematics.
Many: get a raise at work, get more dates (for guys), find a great guy and keep him (for gals))
2) LOW vs HIGH price - what are people willing to PAY for this?
(e.g. Low: folding clothes, digging dirt, posting comments on twitter, how to throw a baseball
High: Writing advertisements that sell, finally getting in shape after failing at it for 20 years, launching a new high-paying career)
Write each into one of the 4 quadrants on your sheet of paper. If you're not sure, just guess - sort through them quickly, your first impression is fine.
PHASE 3: SORT
The sweet spot is MANY and HIGH PRICE. If you can solve a problem that many people have, and they're willing to pay an arm and a leg for, and you can actually solve that problem for people - that's the easiest to monetize.
For FEW and LOW price - forget about those.
In fact, forget about most LOW price - No one's going to give you stacks of cash for your high-end agency or course for repairing holes in socks.
The exception is something that is you feel you can serve to MANY people, at a profit. You come up with a unique product that you can sell worldwide through Walmart, for example.
Your best bets will probably be on the HIGH end. The more people who want it, the better.
PHASE 4: FILTER
Make a spreadsheet (or write it on paper) with your ideas in the first column, and then five more columns with these labels:

• Need
• Entry
• Control
• Scale
• Timing

Evaluate your ideas on a scale of 1 to 5 for each of these facets:

1. NEED. Is this something people desperately need? The more it is a "need" rather than a "want", people are more likely to pay for it.
   [5 = desperately need, 1 = completely optional]
   
2. ENTRY. How easy is it for a competitor to clone your business, and compete with you? Barriers can include copyright/IP law protections, unique reputation or brand, ingrained habits of the market, etc.
   [5 = difficult to clone and compete, 1 = no barrier to competing]
   
3. CONTROL: Do you have control over the product or service being sold, your pricing, etc.? Or is it controlled by some other entity (e.g. with affiliate marketing)?
   [5 = you have full control over every aspect of the business, 1 = some other entity has full control]
   
4. SCALE: If it becomes profitable, can you ramp up sales (and profit) by a factor of 10? 100? 1,000? What is the MAXIMUM monthly profit this may grow to?
   AND: how easily can it ramp up to that limit?
   Do you have to hire, train and retain expensive employees to scale it?
   Or can you use automation to scale up without effort?
   A food cart on a street corner has a low upper limit to its profit. A nationwide restaurant chain can scale that 1000x, but that will cost a lot of money and time. In contrast, a SaaS computer program can quickly scale up worldwide, maybe even without having to bother hiring any employees at all.
   [5 = scale to the moon easily, 1 = cannot scale high or will be difficult/expensive to scale]
   
5. TIMING - How much of YOUR time is required for the day-to-day operation? At the beginning, of course you will be fully involved. But is there at least a potential path to where it can continue to earn money without requiring a lot of your time?
   [5 = you can eventually drop off the grid for a month and it continues printing money, 1 = it only ever earns money while you are giving it your full attention]
   

Once you have ranked your ideas on these dimensions, select one you feel you can be successful with. An idea that is all 5's is likely to be much better than an idea that is all 1's, but in the end go with your gut.
PHASE 5: EXECUTE
Test it. Create an idea for how to make money on it - whether that's building a business around it (ideally), or getting a job/side hustle - and put that plan into action.
It'll either work or it won't. You'll either make $ or you won't. If not, asking people for feedback in this room. You may need to pick a different idea. Maybe the idea's great, and you need to execute differently.
But keep going, learn from your experiences, and NEVER GIVE UP. There is no failure, you either learn or succeed. The only possible failure is doing nothing and letting time pass by unused.
PRODUCTIVITY WHILE COOLING OFF.
A productive activity that takes very little effort is reading through the money room and spend a good amount of time going through it.
You’ll see how hundreds of guys are making real life building money. Go through them all, and find 5 that appeal to you, and the telegram username of who’s making money that way.
You should be able to answer basic questions. How much do they make monthly from that income source? How long did it take to make that income? How long did it take to get their first payday from that income source? Did they have any prior skills that were required to be able to start that income source? Etc.

Hi,
We have been married for about 5 years. Through that time there have been ups and downs. My wife has suffered from mental health issues for the complete time of our marriage. At times it has been manageable but other times it has not. My wife lost her job and has been at home recovering for the last 2 years. I am the only income earner. Over the last 2 years my wife expressed things to me about how she feels about me in less than desirable ways which made me feel distant and questioned our relationship. When I would ask her if she would like to end it, she would say no. Over the same course of time my wife has barely managed any household chores and mainly focuses on her own personal activities (leaving the house at 9-10am and returning at 4-5pm) each day. I don’t know what she does and each time I ask her how her day was I feel a little lost regarding how she spent a complete day doing nothing. Again, I avoid trying to dig too deep to avoid any arguments.
Over the same course of time my wife’s spending was in my opinion extreme but I kept giving her spending money mainly so we wouldn’t argue about it. I was never told what she used it for.
Over the last few months, we started counseling, she has started new medication, and made new friends. For some reason she has started paying our monthly bills (even though she has no income source) which I thought was strange. Recently she expressed a feeling that she can’t continue this relationship unless things change, she feels like we are disconnected, and I don’t spend enough time with her. When I tried to better understand what she meant I feel like I was stonewalled. I would like to try to make this marriage work but as I reflect on the past, I am feeling like my wife may have been planning this for a while.
What can I do to try to save this marriage?

My husband and I have been married for 1 year, together for 4, and we have 1 baby (8Months). We are both very young. So young really, that I despise being here in this group already, let alone disclosing our age. He has a drinking problem. It was very bad for a while, he was drinking 1 L bottles of 99 banana vodka every 2 days. And he was a completely different person. After some rock bottoms times with him, he is no longer “allowed” to drink liquor, I do say I’m okay with beer because he feels like he is making the decision and I understand that trying to control him will only enable him, as I have found hidden bottles on multiple occasions. I rarely ever drink and I watch the credit cards as well because it easily goes unnoticed. He has not done this in a while, and I just want so badly to not be constantly watching, Listening, assuming, and snooping. It only hurts my feelings more most of the time. HOW do I stop feeling and acting like this? I want so badly to trust him again but I just can’t. Please any advice?

1. Double Standards - it's okay for me to do this, but it's not okay for you to do it.
2. Lack of transparency - I'll only let you in on what I think you need to know.
3. Entitlement - As my partner you should give me sex/money/time/forgiveness, whenever I want it, how I want it.
4. No respect for boundaries - What is yours is mine, and I don't have to check with you first, or ask permission before I use it, take it, or give it out to other people to use too.
5. Triangulation - I may make you feel like you're competing for my time and attention with my job/family/friends/pet/kids/ex/PlayStation, etc. I know I'm doing this and I expect you be a sport about it.
6. Character policing/conditioning - My friends don't like opinionated women, you're going to have to tone it down.
7. Expectations of clairvoyance or telepathy - You should have known!
8. Inconsistency - Yesterday was yesterday, today is today, and tomorrow… well, who knows? Try and keep up.
9. Lack of communication - you can't make me talk about it, and you can't make me listen to you talk about it. Also, I’ll hear what I want to hear and think what I want to think, and no amount of evidence, protestations, or clarification from you will change that.
10. Diminishing situations and managing down expectations - You're overreacting. You're too sensitive. You need to loosen up. So I'm late, what's the big deal? At least I showed up.

Hello intps, intruder infj here, just looking for some intp advice to help me with my relationship with my intp, thank you :)
My intp is juggling working and studying 4 days a week, and has 3 days off. We love together in our home and I work 4 days a week. He also has 2 goats and and 2 chickens to care for that he loves to learn about and is really learning how he goes. I help with the animals and think they are cute, but they are definitely way more work than he thought they would be. He has been stressed and burnt out for months, but we can't really see how to lessen his schedule any further. He's getting accupucnture treatment for stress and health, which is his preference, and we talk about it a lot.
I've got a medical issue that flares up like clockwork once month, literally. During this time I can't do very much. I've tried mentioning when the time is coming, but he seems resistant to using a calendar, app, and finds a shared whiteboard aggressive or doesn't notice it. It causes issues for us because I can't keep up the same pace at this time, and usually I'm all over the little things around the house and doing lots of housework. He also can treat me as if nothing is going on which I find difficult emotionally. I've mentioned many times I want to feel cared for at this time, and he often mentions his stress for example.
We also can't really agree on how to divy up household tasks, I don't want to micromanage everything and have the mental load, but he's seemingly not able to really take initiative and take care of half the house stuff. We've talked about it a lot.
Please let me know, what's the way to connect with intp around this sort of stuff, managing their stress, just doing the household tasks we all have to do, schedules and understanding in advance when I can't do stuf...its a bit vague but I hope that makes sense and thanks for your thoughts.

"Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) from Star Trek: The Next Generation is a beloved character for many reasons, and he has become a particularly important figure for people with autism and other forms of neurodivergence. The Cleveland Clinic defines neurodivergent as a term describing "people whose brain differences affect how their brain works." Similarly, Data was different from many of his peers among the USS Enterprise-D crew. Not only was he an android, but his behavior and ways of thinking differed from that of his coworkers and friends. Much like Spock (Leonard Nimoy) before him, Data became a relatable character for many people who felt like they did not fit in. [...]
Data wished more than anything to be human, and over the course of Star Trek: The Next Generation, he searched for his humanity. The android tried out various human hobbies, such as painting and playing the violin. Like many people with autism or other forms of neurodivergence, Data sometimes became fixated on these hobbies. Data often missed social cues that were obvious to others or misunderstood the meaning of idioms. He took things literally and did not always understand when people were joking. In the TNG episode "Tin Man," Data meets an unusually empathetic Betazoid who cannot sense any emotion from Data. This troubles him, but the man tells Data: "Perhaps you're just different. Not a sin, you know, though you may have heard otherwise." Though Data was constantly striving to be more human, he failed to see that he already possessed a type of humanity."
In her chapter from the book Autism in Film and Television, Dr. Ina Rae Hark points out that “Data may not have human emotions, but there are many indications that he has android equivalents.” Throughout The Next Generation, Data shows that he cares about the people around him in many different ways. He mourns when he loses people close to him, he has an obvious affection for his pet cat, he goes out of his way to help people in need, and Data connects with children who need a friend. These examples, along with so many others, demonstrate that Data does feel, in his own way. As Dr. Hark puts it: "Data, that most atypical android curiosity, can’t read his own feelings as feelings, but that doesn’t mean the feelings are inauthentic." People with neurodivergent brains may have difficulty understanding their emotions or may express them differently, but that does not make them any less valid.
In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Data receives the ultimate upgrade. His consciousness is combined with that of his brothers Lore and B-4, as well as that of his daughter, Lal (Hallie Todd). Not only does he now have the ability to experience more organic emotions, he also receives a more human-like, synthetic body.
While there was nothing wrong with Data before this upgrade, he clearly felt like he was lacking something. Much like someone with neurodivergence may use medicine or therapy to improve their quality of life, this upgrade does not change who Data is as a person, but just helps him to feel more like himself. Data's journey on Star Trek: The Next Generation and beyond made him a hero to many autistic and neurodivergent viewers."
Rachel Hulshult (ScreenRant)
https://screenrant.com/star-trek-data-hero-autistic-neurodivergent-people/

Currently Playing on the Beta Patch. Due to horses being broken I'm trying to sell/export them to fix this issue. However, my livestock traders will sell the horses leaving me with 0, perfect..But then after a while they all come back, and again I'm 4+ horses in surplus.
How can I make sure they don't come back and my horse stock stays at 0? The trade setting is Export Only and I'm not purchasing any more horses via the stable, so there's no reason that they should be coming back.